THERE aren’t too many around who can say with conviction that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player EVER. Except me, that is.

Cristiano Ronaldo is head and shoulders above anyone else in the history of the game

I’ve been round the block enough to see the likes of Pele, George Best, Johan Cruyff, Ferenc Puskas, Maradona and Lionel Messi at first hand – but none of these wonderful players has ALL the qualities that Ronaldo patently possesses.

Who else among that illustrious band scored more than 500 goals, passed with inch-perfect precision, dribbled with devastating speed, delivered free-kicks with such deadly accuracy and headed a ball so powerfully?

My answer is – none of them. Cristiano Ronaldo is literally head and shoulders above them all.

Cruyff arguably has the edge over him technically, while Puskas was an amazing powerhouse striker, and Best, Maradona and Messi are a match on the dribbling front.

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Cristiano Ronaldo secured his crowning glory last year at Euro 2016

Top goalscoring teams in Champions League history - plus Cristiano Ronaldo

Wed, May 3, 2017

Click to reveal the all-time top goalscoring teams in the Champions League compared to Cristiano Ronaldo

But while the imperious Pele comes closest with his exquisite range of talents he and those other greats all fall short of the Real deal in that they were never quite able to use their heads quite like Ronaldo uses his.

And what’s more, even at the age of 32, the magician from Madeira hasn’t lost any of the pace that Wayne Rooney, for instance, has.

I also witnessed that while all around were celebrating with their families and fans after last weekend’s Champions League triumph, Ronaldo kept the air of aloofness you’d expect from a king.

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Pele and Maradona are long regarded as the two best footballers in history

He has, and always has been, the man for the big occasions. After celebrating becoming the first player to score 100 Champions League goals with a hat-trick against Bayern Munich earlier this year, he capped that with another treble against Atletico – and that so crucial brace in the Cardiff final.

There could be even more to follow. While the European giants prepare to spend fortunes on would-be heir apparents, King Ronaldo shows no sign of abdicating.

But football, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

So if you believe there has been a better player than Ronaldo, let Sunday Express Sport know who and why. No more than 50 words – titled Best Player – to the Sports Editor: scott.wilson@express.co.uk